BT announces one million WiFi hotspots

BT has reached its goal of building one million WiFi hotspots, the company announced. Now the largest network in the UK and Ireland, the hotspots are available in homes, independent businesses, high street chains and major city centres.

BT WiFi users are also on track to spend more than a billion WiFi minutes online this year, a peak attributed in part to the massive growth in UK iPhone traffic. In the last eight months, BT has signed UK deals to provide O2, Orange and Vodafone iPhone customers with BT Openzone WiFi access.

Gavin Patterson, chief executive officer, BT Retail, said: “Whether at home, at work or when out and about, wireless access is central to keeping people and communities better connected. We’ve grown from 500,000 to one million hotspots within six months, and will continue add more to meet demand from smart-phone, laptop, iPod and now e-reader users.”